Another child is lying in a hospital bed after coming into contact with a live electricity cable, and once again serious questions are being directed at Kenya Power over the safety of electricity connections in residential areas.
The Grade Six pupil is recovering at Awendo Sub-County Hospital after suffering an electric shock in Athiko Estate, Awendo Town, Migori County. According to her mother, Sharon Odhiambo, the child touched a live power cable running from a roadside kiosk after she was briefly left waiting while her mother went to buy food at a nearby market.
The incident has reignited concerns about Kenya Power’s failure to eliminate dangerous and illegal electricity connections that continue to put innocent lives at risk. Residents say exposed power cables have become a growing danger in the area, yet little appears to have changed despite previous incidents.
The girl’s mother has reported the matter to Awendo Police Station and is demanding a thorough investigation to establish how a live cable was left where members of the public, especially children, could easily come into contact with it.
The case is not being treated as an isolated accident. Area village elder Alexander Ochieng says similar electrocution incidents have been reported in Awendo in the recent past, raising fears that unsafe electricity connections have become a persistent public safety threat.
Local leaders have pointed an accusing finger at illegal power connections, but they also insist Kenya Power cannot escape responsibility.
As the agency mandated to manage and safeguard the country’s electricity network, residents argue that the company has a duty to detect illegal connections before they turn into death traps.
Waiting until someone is injured or killed is simply not good enough.
Awendo Small Traders Association Chairperson Bernard Odhiambo and the head of security for Awendo Sub-County boda boda riders have urged Kenya Power to launch an immediate crackdown on illegal electricity connections across the town.
They say stronger inspections, tougher enforcement and quicker response to unsafe installations are needed to prevent more injuries.
For many residents, this latest incident is another painful reminder that electricity should never become a danger to ordinary Kenyans.
They are demanding that Kenya Power move beyond routine statements and take visible action to identify hazardous connections, remove exposed live cables and ensure no other family has to watch a child suffer because of preventable failures.
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